Toy caboose with animated flagman



Nov. 25, 1958 w. R. SMITH ET AL 2,

TOY CABOOSE WITH ANIMATED FLAGMAN Filed May 24, 1956 ATTORNEY TOY CABOOSE WITH ANIMATED FLAGMAN William R. Smith, Hamden, and Gabriel R. Monaco, New Haven, Conn., assignors to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Maryland Application May 24, 1956, Serial No. 537,001

Claims. (Cl. 46-445) This invention relates to a toy railway car equipped with an animated figure representing a trainman in action. Preferably the car is fashioned to resemble the rear car of a freight train known as a caboose.

Among various kinds of animated accessories associated with toy or model railroading, none present more realism than those in which a figurette is caused to perform some natural appearing movement characteristic of the duties of workmen in the operation of a railroad.

An object of the present invention is to provide a toy caboose with a figurette normally stationed on the open vestibule platform of the car but caused to swing sidewise automatically into otfset relation to the side of the car, thus imitating the action of a flagman in checking the cars of a freight train or signaling the engineer ahead by means of a lantern. Optional performance of the figurette may be to depart from the platform of the car and approach the base of a trackside semaphore as for readjusting the signal, a familiar practice in real railroading.

Another object is to provide actuating means for the figurette concealed within the housing of the car and arranged to be inconspicuous in such of the figurette actuating structure as projects from the car thereby to conceal in large part the means of motivation of the figurette.

Another object is to motivate the figurette by means of an electromagnet whose armature is unified with the figurette for eliminating the greater costliness and complexity of relatively movable parts.

A further object is to cause the figurette to remain withdrawn onto the platform of the car so long as the toy train derives propelling current from the track, and to be projected to the ide of the car whenever the tracks are deprived of current so that the freight train and its caboose come to rest.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent in fuller detail from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the improvements, said description having reference to the appended drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a toy caboose equipped with an electromagnetically motivated trainman figurette in accordance with the principles of this invention, a section of the side wall of the caboose and the trucks being broken away to expose interior parts.

Fig. 2 is a plan view taken in section on the plane 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of the caboose looking from the right at Fig. 1 showing the trainman figurette projected sideways from the caboose platform.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the caboose drawn on a smaller scale showing the natural appearance of the figurette when positioned as in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the unified figurette and electromagnetic armature detached from the car and before the figurette has been bent to upstanding position as in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 shows a caboose in which the figurette is of States Pgltgnt 2,861,391 Patented Nov. 25, 1958 ice . 2 modified construction and arrangement for being displaced from the car platform onto the base of a trackside semaphore.

In the drawings the chassis 12 of the caboose rests pivotally on wheeled trucks 13 and 14 riding on toy track rails 15 and 16 from which conductive traction wheels on one side of one truck and conductive traction wheels on the other side of the other truck respectively collect current, the remaining traction wheels of the two trucks being insulative. The structure of each truck has the same polarity as its conductive traction wheels and current is transmitted from the truck 13 to the chassis of the car through a pivot pin 20, while current reaching another pivot pin 19 through the structure of truck 14 is isolated from the car chassis 12 by insulative parts including the insulative washer 18 and the insulative bushing 17. A lead wire 21 connects pivot pin 20 with one end of the winding of the solenoid of an electromagnet 22 having a plunger armature 23, while another lead wire 27 connects the other end of the solenoid winding with pivot pin 19 and thereby electrically with only the truck 14.

The field core of electromagnet 22 is fixedly mounted on the car chassis 12 within the cabin 28 by means of a supporting bracket 24 so that the armature 23 slides horizontally within the solenoid transversely of the car. Plunger 23 is normally urged by a spring coil 26 in a direction away from the solenoid to a limit position indicated by broken lines in Fig. 2 where it can be stopped by the side wall 25 of the cabin of the car. Spring coil 26 loosely surrounds the plunger and is compressed axially between the head of plunger 23 and the body of the bracket 24.

Figurette 30 is always visible and appears to stand in riding position upon the open vestibule platform 29 outside of the cabin 28 on the opposite side of the upright end wall 34 of the cabin from the electromagnet 22 and is fixed to and unified with the plunger 23 of the electromagnet so as always to move in unison therewith. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, the figurette 30 and its motion transmitter may comprise originally a fiat, generally L-shaped, stiff plate 31 of sheet metal of which one end portion is cut to the outline shape of the figurette 30 and the other end portion 32 is bent upward and fixedly secured to the end of plunger 23 as by riveting or welding. Either before or after assemblage of the electromagnet with the car chassis the figurette-forming end 30 of plate 31 is bentupward from its original condition in Fig. 5 into vertical position as in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. The mean portion 31 of the plate then slides edgewise freely in a horizontally elongated guide slot 33 in the end wall 34 of the cabin.

Spring 26 normally maintains the figurette 30 in its laterally projected or offset position in outboard relation to the vestibule platform 29 at side of the car as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and by broken lines in Fig. 2. This isthe position of the figurette as long as solenoid 22 remains electrically deenergized. Whenever the track rails are electrically energized to cause travel of the toy freight train of which caboose 12 may be the rear car, the solenoid of electromagnet 22 is energized and attracts the plunger 23 and plate 31 from broken line position to full line position in Fig. 2. This withdraws the figurette from outboard relation to the car to within the confines of the platform of the car until the solenoid becomes deenergized by cut-off, or severe reduction, of current in the track such as causes the caboose to slow up or stop, whereupon the figurette again emerges from the platform into its realistic action position of Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 6 a three-dimensional figurette 35 is fixed in upstanding position on the end of a motivating plate 31' which will be reciprocated edgewise by an electromagnet (not shown) reversely positioned end-for-end Within the car'body so that the figurette will project from the left instead of the right side ofuthe car platform. In Fig. 6 there also is qshown a .tracksidepedestal 38 fI'OmiWhiCh upstands-the ladderequipped ,post -39 of a-shiftableisemaphore signal 40. The figurette appears-toeattendlthe signal when transferred from the platform ;;of ."the ,:car

to .a position over-the pedestal =38 atothe 'footof :the post ladder.

In Figs. 1 a11d-2 another lead wire 41 is shown extend ing from pivot pin 19 which may connect to an electric lamp (not shown)mounted inside the car :aHdTIIBIICW- able through the-aperture 42 in the floor. .otitheticar.

Circuit through such lamp will be completed::by1.grounding the lamp .to .thecar. chassis'whilchfis.ialways electrically alive Wlth ETIuCk .13.

- Qther variations are possible within the intendedicoverage of the-appended claims which should ;be interpreted in .the broadest' sense of. theterms by whichihey define the. invention. 1

We claim: 1. The combination with atoy railway caboose having .a cabin betweenits ends and 'an open vestibule-platform outside of said cabin at'an end of the caboose, of an upright wall of said cabin separating said vestibule from the interior of 'said cabin containing aniap'ertures, anelectromagnet within. said cabin having a reciprocative armature movably attractable in a' direction crosswise of the caboose, a figurette' constantly in view on said vestibule platform representing a trainman always outside of said cabin, and a motion transmitter extending through said aperture operatively connecting said figurette to said armature whereby said figurette can be shuttled sidewise back and forth between a riding position in the confines of said vestibule platform external to said cabin and a position in laterally outboard relation to said platthe cabin of the caboose.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which the said armature performs rectilinear reciprocating movement and through the said motion transmitter imparts rectilinear reciprocative travel to the said figurette.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, together with toy track rails traveled by said caboose, and in which the said electromagnet is electrically energized by current derived from said track rails, said figurette being shifted by said transmitter in .a direction toward the said vestibule platform when said prime mover is electrically energized and in a direction away trom'said platform laterally of the car when said prime mover is electrically deenergize'd.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, in which the said motion transmitter is fixedly connected in rigid relation to thesaid .figurette and to the saidarmature.

5. The combination defined in claim-4, in which the motiontransmitter is a bent plate having one end portion thereof upstanding. and cut to the outline shape of .a human figure comprising the said figurette and having the opposite end portion thereof upstanding and fixedly connected in rigid relation to the said armature.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,926 High June 13, 1933 .-2,138,367 Bonanno Nov. 29, 1938 2,551,416 Camusco- May 1, 1951 2,610,442 Bonanno Sept. 16,1952 2,661,852 -Bonanno Dec. 8, 1953 2,664,664 Bonanno Jan. 5,1954 2,690,031 Camuso Sept. 28, 1954 2,737,756 Reed Mar. 13, 1956 

